Agripod

The forecast is looking bright for the pork sector in 2026. Farm Credit Canada expects a profitable year as outlined in the 2026 Hog Outlook.

FCC Senior Economist Justin Shepherd says 2025 ended up being a pretty good year for the hog industry in Canada and North America due to lower feed costs and strong pricing. This was fueled by strong demand for meat and higher costs for substitute proteins, whether it beef or chicken, making pork appealing for the consumer.

Shepherd expects 2026 to be much the same.

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A chef instructor with the Culinary Institute of Canada says consumers have become more aware of the cost of groceries. An article circulated through canadianfoodfocus.org looks at how consumers can trim their food costs by using "humble cuts of meat" to prepare nutritious meals at home.

Chef Ilona Daniel says people are paying closer attention to the prices on their food as they balance the cost of groceries, housing, fuel and general living costs.

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Ranchers care about the animals they raise. That is why when it's -50 with the windchill - they are on high alert watching out for those newborn calves. Sometimes it means going to any lengths to get them warmed up quickly so they can be returned to their mothers.

One rancher in southern Saskatchewan had several calves born on a very cold day. Those three newborn calves spent some time on a bathroom floor in the home of Chris Lees at Arcola, Saskatchewan.

Chris will tell us about the busy start to calving season on his farm.

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Nearly all forestry biomass pellets are shipped to the European Union, which wants environmentally friendly energy solutions that reduce the need to import oil and natural gas. Work at the University of Saskatchewan is exploring turning canola and oat hulls --along with canola meal into a better biomass pellet. The main work is being done by PhD candidate Tumpa Sarkar, under the supervision of Dr. Ajay Dalai.

The hope is to have a final version of the biomass pellet in one to two years. Dr. Dalai is a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Saskatchewan and holds the Canada Research Chair in bio energy.

He will share the research and the ultimate goal of developing a technology that would eventually be adopted by the private sector.

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What should I make for dinner? Canada Beef will say...beef.. of course. But what cut of beef should I chose? How do I prepare it?

That's why Canada Beef is working towards getting QR codes on every package of beef. One quick scan with your smart phone and all of those questions will be answered.

Canada Beef President Michael Young says when every cut of beef has its own QR code the home cook will have the information they need to make a decision on the type of beef to buy, how to cook it, access to recipes and videos and even a grocery list, at their fingertips. Eventually the QR code will be part of the retail meat case, print or digital flyers. While beef will be the first to do this, Young believes other commodities like chicken and pork will soon follow.

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Better brome....better beef.

The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan will receive $332,000 from the Agriculture Development Fund to find ways to make genetic improvements in bromegrass, an essential forage crop for cattle.

GIFS Director of Genomics and Bioinformatics Dr. Andrew Sharpe will explain how the research being done will produce a catalogue of genetic variations for bromegrass.

He says it will have a direct impact on the ability of breeders to select the most nutritious varieties of bromegrass that produce the largest yield.

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A company based in Edam in northwest Saskatchewan is getting ready to launch a pilot testing program for a new cattle ear tag.

Company owner James Babcock says the Ori-tags take basic health data from the cattle and use artificial intelligence to benefit the producer's operation.

While there's room for pork producers to be optimistic heading into 2026, that optimism is being tempered by tariff threats and global political uncertainty.

Manitoba Pork General Manager Can Dahl says, on the positive side, there was profitability in 2025 due to strong demand for both pigs and pork, on the flip side of the coin there is significant international market volatility and an uncertain relationship with the U.S., as well as tariffs on pork going into China.

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Grocery prices are rising, but the farmer's share continues to shrink. This according to National Farmers Union Vice President Stuart Wells. He says corporate processors and retailers are the ones that are benefiting. Wells will explain that consumers need to know that less and less of the money 
they spend on food actually makes it back to the farmer, and retail food prices are high because meat packers, other processors and big retailers are taking ever larger shares.

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Canada's outstanding young farmers were announced at a special event recently. Jenny Butcher & Wes Kuntz run a dairy operation in the Brantford, Ontario region. Tracey & Raymond Bredenhoff, Abbotsford, BC. and have a 40,000 broiler per cycle chicken operation and are also the largest distributors of Canadian-grown hops. We'll hear from both families about winning the award and successes and challenges that they've faced in the past year.

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It wasn’t just farmers growing vegetables this year in Canada. According to a study from Dalhousie University, the pandemic inspired a lot of people to grow their own garden. Vanessa Young with the Horticulture and Agriculture Lifelong Learning Programs with the University of Saskatchewan says there was an increased interest in gardening.

Part of it she believes is provide food for the family, but it is also a stress reliever. She'll also talk about the different ways you can grow a garden on the prairies.
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It is always great to connect with producers who are willing to share stories about their own farming operation. Lonny and Connie Bulmer run Bison River Ranch in northeast Saskatchewan.

In addition to raising bison, the couple recently added a rental cabin to their property. I talk to Lonny about their farm and how the addition of the cabin has been a pleasant surprise and welcomed addition to their operation.

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Just sign on the dotted line.
I just need your signature.

How many times are you asked to do this over the course of a year? We’ve all done it….you read the terms of agreement on your phone you scroll down and click "accept" without really reading the fine details. This has the potential to be disastrous for a farmer, particularly this year when it comes to the eligibility declaration you sign when selling grain and an elevator.

Tom Steve with the Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley commission has a warning for farmers. Those declarations may look the same but there are some significant differences. He will explain those changes, why it happened, the repercussions of not understanding what you've signed and your legal obligations.

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Often people have a certain vision of what a conventional farm looks like. It usually involved a tractor or combine and a field of golden grain.

Today on Not Your Everyday Farmer we will feature a very different type of farm operation. John Cote and his wife Barb Stefanyshyn Cote did the unthinkable and sold the family farm and then they embarked on a completely different experience…..making gin and selling flowers. Barb will talk about the creation of Black Fox Farm and Distillery and how they've never worked harder in their lives.

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Farm Credit Canada (FCC) wants to reward farmers for using practices that make the farm environmentally friendly.

FCC released its Sustainable Finance Framework, outlining how they will invest $1.9 billion by the year 2030, to help producers increase their farm's resilience to weather challenges, increase productivity, and ensure it's a long-term viable operation.

Marie-Claude Bourgie is the Vice-President of Sustainability for FCC.
She explains the sustainable financing is incentive-based and applies to FCC customers.

The Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission will have a key item on the agenda of its annual general meeting.

Chair of the Board Norm Hall says they will be discussing BASF's Invigor Gold variety of mustard.
Invigor Gold is a canola quality mustard and is able to cross pollinate with brown and oriental mustard.
BASF says Invigor Gold will be more drought tolerant than regular canola, but the mustard industry says it will put Canadian mustard sales in jeopardy.

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The spread of African Swine Fever to wild boar in Spain is a reminder of the importance of vigilance in terms of biosecurity especially as more people are traveling out of country.

Dr. Megan Niederwerder says a recent European Food Safety Authority review of the risk factors particular to Europe offers important information for North America.

There are more handling tips and tricks available to pork producers. Kevin Brooks is a production manager specializing in animal handling and training with Olymel West in Humboldt, Sask.

He spoke at the recent Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium about he things that have changed in the sector.

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Global Agri-Trends says tariffs on trade haven’t been as serious a concern for the meat sector.

Brett Stuart is a founding partner for Global AgriTrends. He was formerly employed by the US Meat Export Federation as their lead economist. He conducted numerous research and analysis projects in the global meat trade areas as well as advising US trade officials on internation meat access issues.

He shared some of his findings during the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium.

The House of Commons agriculture committee has been reviewing the policies and procedures of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as well as Health Canada. One issue discussed has been the growing number of concerns that have impacted Canada's veterinarians.

Tracy Fisher, the president of the Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association, share some of those struggles

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